The present invention relates to a new and distinct Dahlia plant botanically known as Dahlia variabilis and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Baldelrasp’.
The new cultivar originated in a controlled breeding program in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands during July 1997. The objective of the breeding program was the development of freely flowering Dahlia cultivars with large inflorescences and an upright growth habit.
The female parent of the new cultivar was the proprietary breeding selection designated 97.1358, not patented, characterized by its red-colored inflorescences. The male parent of the new cultivar was ‘Dapadred’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,671, characterized by its red inflorescences and compact growth habit. Seed from the above stated cross-pollination was germinated and grown to maturity. One plant within the progeny was discovered and selected by the inventor during May 1998 at Enkhuizen, The Netherlands.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal stem cuttings taken since May 1998 at Enkhuizen, The Netherlands and West Chicago, Ill. has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type, with all characteristics as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.